Around the ACC: Week 5

Week 5 in the ACC began with a bang in Blacksburg, and even though the result devastated Hokie Nation, the weekend ended with a third ACC school finally making the AP top 25, albeit barely as SMU and Pitt sit at #24 and #25 respectively. 

Miami keeps rolling, and their top five ranking has the respect of the national media.  As for the rest of the conference, as usual, things change in the ACC on a week-to-week basis.   

While three teams remain unbeaten in the ACC, ten others have only one league loss, so anything is still possible in this conference.  Can Wake Forest play the role of Cinderella and crash the ball?  Will Florida State’s recent resurgence last the entire season?  Can Louisville bounce back and meet their lofty pre-season expectations? 

Time will tell, and since this is the ACC we are talking about, anything is possible and chaos is likely.  So let’s take a closer look and the results of the most recent week in the All Coast Conference. 

ACC Football
@ACCFootball

𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞: Week 5 🔗 theacc.co/26FBpotwwk5 https://t.co/FLn

I’m Not Mad, Just Disappointed 

By now, Virginia Tech fans have had several days to process the missed game-winning field goal on Friday night, but there certainly was a lot of venting over the weekend. 

This is completely understandable, as the Hokies had a chance to win the game on the last play with one of the best kickers in the league.  I mean, who in maroon and orange didn’t feel really good with John Love lining up to kick a field goal as the last play? 

But alas, the 36-yard attempt sailed over the left upright and was ruled no good, much to the dismay of Love, the student section, an entire stadium, and tens of thousands of fans watching at home. Virginia Tech lost to Pittsburgh, 35-33. 

There is no way for TV viewers to tell if that kick was good.  It was well above the upright, and by rule, if any part of the ball travels above the upright, the kick is no good. 

I’m not mad that the kick was not reviewed.  That is also a rule – kicks that travel above the pole are not reviewable.  And I’m not upset that college football does not have similar technology that Major League Baseball, FIFA, and World Tennis use (but I am curious why not).   

The Loyal Sons
@TheLoyalSons

Most of the college football universe knew the kick missed wide left. Now we have physics on our side to prove it once and for all. Send this to your Hokie friends or anyone in denial. Shoutout to HokieSpurs on Instagram for being smart and breaking it down.

Instead, I am disappointed that once again, Virginia Tech found a way to lose a game is coulda/woulda/shoulda won. 

Again, Lucy pulled the ball away from Charlie Brown.  Or, more accurately, Virginia Tech pulled the ball away from itself.  

What I mean is that the Hokies beat themselves Friday night.  Four turnovers (to none from Pitt) and 8 penalties for 82 yards, including some very damaging flags.  That is what is more disappointing. 

However, this is a young Virginia Tech team with a new coach.  Games like this happen in year one.  They just can’t keep happening.  Tech has a long history of heartbreaking losses (see 2007 BC, 2009 UNC, 2010 Boise State, 2012 Michigan, 2014 Wake, 2019 Notre Dame and Kentucky – oh, there are too many to list!!), so the hope is that this young team and new staff will learn from this and turn this ship around. 

The Hokies showed resilience in overcoming all those mistakes and lining up for the game winning kick. That grit is something that has been lacking the past decade.

The Pitt game saw a second straight week of a fourth quarter comeback.  This Hokie team has two road wins under their belt.  The program is on the rise. These are some of the reasons to be hopeful despite this result (to read more about this, check out Paul Petera’s comparison of this kick to Danny Coale’s catch). 

Yes, this loss hurt.  Yes, Tech had one of its best kickers ever on the field with a chance to win the game.  But nobody is perfect in pressure situations.  Plenty of kickers miss game winners, some in even bigger moments (see Scott Norwood).   

Hokie Nation went to sleep with disappointment and frustration Friday night.  But the sun still came up Saturday.  The games will still go on next week.  And the future still looks bright.  

Sons of Saturday Virginia Tech
@SonsofSatVT

OL Aidan Lynch on how the team used Sunday to bounce back from the tough loss.

Praise to Pitt 

I had a lot to say about Friday’s game, but I would be remiss to omit any praise for Pitt.   They came into a hostile environment (Lane Stadium was ROCKING!), fell behind 14-0 after the first two Virginia Tech possessions, and lost their quarterback, yet they still scored two more TDs with their backup and emerged victorious.   

They deserve credit.  That was a good win.  And for the third year in a row, the Panthers are 5-0 to start the season.  Unfortunately, because they lost their quarterback, they are getting the Florida State treatment by the pollsters, as they only just eked into the rankings at #25. 

The Panthers play North Carolina and Boston College before heading to Miami, so they have a few games to get acclimated to their new signal caller.  Even if they lose to the ‘Canes, Pitt can still challenge for that second ACC title game slot if they win the rest of their league games.  It is going to be a tall order to win a title with a backup, but it has been done before (see Cardale Jones). 

Barstool Sports
@barstoolsports

Pat Narduzzi just put AP Voters on BLAST

Watch Out For Wake 

Wake Forest (4-1) has officially put the league on notice and are squarely in the hunt for a berth in the ACC championship game.  The Demon Deacons are 2-1 in conference, with wins over then #16 Louisville on the road and Stanford at home, where they romped 57-3.

 Their only blemish is a 33-20 loss to Miami, which is kind of a win in a weird way since no other team has scored more than one touchdown against the ‘Canes and Wake scored three.  Also, no team has lost to Miami by less than 28 points – except for the Deacs.

 Head Coach Jake Dickert has this team scoring points and winning games, and their remaining schedule is not exactly overwhelming.  Expect Wake to be in the title game hunt come November and expect Dickert’s name to be thrown around as a top candidate for some of the higher profile jobs that are bound to open this year. 

College Football Zone
@CollegeFBonX

Is Wake Forest a college football playoff dark horse?

Is Florida State is Back from the Grave? 

After losing to SMU and Alabama in back-to-back weeks, Florida State was left for dead and talk about head coach Mike Norvell’s buyout swirled on social media.  However, FSU took a page out of fellow Seminole Lee Corso’s book and said, “Not so fast, my friends.”

The Seminoles ripped Virginia this week 38-7 and have now scored at least 34 points in four of their five games. Their next three games are Louisville, Miami, and Clemson, so we will know a lot more about FSU by the end of the month.  

While I don’t expect them to vie for the conference championship, I do think a bowl game is a solid possibility, and given their remaining schedule, anything above 6-6 will be somewhat impressive for a team that everyone wrote off two weeks ago. 

ACC Digital Network
@theACCDN

Florida State flipped the script in a hurry 🏹 After falling behind 7-0, Florida State scored 38 unanswered points to beat Virginia, 38-7. Ashton Daniels rushed for a school-record five TDs, while the Seminoles racked up 10 sacks. @FSUFootball | @Seminoles | #NoleFamily

Other ACC Notes 

Miami crushed Clemson 41-13 and is still the team to beat in the league.  As mentioned earlier, they are scoring in bunches and keeping teams out of the end zone.  There are a few intriguing ACC matchups on their remaining schedule, but the big one nationally is a November trip to South Bend, Indiana to take on Notre Dame.  That game will likely be for playoff seeding. 

Syracuse beat UConn 42-41 when they scored on a two-point conversion in overtime.  While it was an entertaining game (I was there to witness the excitement), it is not a good look for the league to barely escape with a victory over a below-average UConn team that isn’t even in a conference.  The Orange will be challenged to make a bowl this season. 

Cal lost at UNLV 39-31 and Louisville lost at NC State 31-28.  Bad losses for both of those teams.  But good for NC State who suddenly has life and a real shot to make a bowl. 

The off-season
@TheOffSeasonCFB

ACC Standings through week 5

Looking Ahead to Week 6 

Week 6 brings us to the halfway point of the 2026 season – can you believe it? - but not the halfway point for conference games.  Six of the seven games involving ACC teams will be conference matchups.  The standings will see a little movement. 

Friday kicks off the weekend slate when Florida State travels to Louisville in what should be a high scoring affair.  Louisville cannot afford to lose this one, while Mike Norvell and Florida State need to make a statement.  This should be an entertaining game, so pour your bourbon and coke early, and park yourself in front of your TV in time for the 7pm ESPN game. 

The Saturday games begin when UNC heads north to the Steel City.  Can Pitt avoid a letdown?  Can the Panthers win with their second-string quarterback?  Or will Carolina push toward bowl eligibility?  We will find out on Friday night. 

The big game is between Wake Forest and NC State, kicking off at noon.  Duke and Georgia Tech square off later, while Syracuse and Virginia hold the prime-time ACC Network slot. 

Top Tier
@TopTierStateX

College Football Week 6 TV schedule

And of course, the Hokies travel to the left coast to take on Cal.  The Golden Bears have not played to expectation, and the Hokies can benefit from an opponent's rushing defense that gives up 187 rushing yards per game and is two yards per game away from the last spot among ACC defenses. 

I know Ethan Grunkemeyer has been a very good passing quarterback for Tech so far, but the key to this one is going to be the same as last year – run it down Cal’s throats.  And after last week’s poor rushing performance by the Hokies, I hope to see triple digits from either Jeff Overton or Marcellous Hawkins – or both! 

In my preseason predictions, I had the Hokies losing at Cal.  However, the Golden Bears are not as good as most had expected, so this is a very winnable game for Virginia Tech.  It is also very losable, but I do think Tech plays with purpose after last week.  If they play a clean game and run the ball effectively, they should leave California Memorial Stadium with a Dub (shout out Pat Finn), and they will be exactly where I had them at the halfway point: 5-1.  

Go Hokies!